I
bought this ’cos it looked funky, then didn’t bother reading the miniseries
till now. However, I read the first issue in about three minutes and thought, “Holy
fuck! IDW has ripped me off for another US$3.99. But as I read these arthouse,
surreal takes on trashy 50s sci-fi/monster flicks, I really got into Morse’s mindset
and what he was building. By the time I reached issue six – which neatly wraps
up what takes place in the previous five issues – I was sold on Strange Science Fantasy. Morse is a mad
genius force to be reckoned with in this industry.

I
bought this ’cos I read somewhere that The New Warriors (who debuted in Thor #411-412) was a forgotten gem in
late 80s/early 90s mainstream comics. They lied. It’s very ordinary. And Night
Thrasher may well be the worst-named, worst-conceived “dark” superhero ever
vomited out of the Marvel machine.

15. The
Raven And The Red Death (Dark Horse, 2013) ****

Writer/artist:
Richard Corben

It’s
fucking Corben!

16. NewUniversal:
Conquerer (Marvel, 2008) ***¼

Writer:
Simon Spurrier/Artist: Eric Nguyen

I
bought this ’cos I’m a completist and I wanted every issue in the botched
relaunch of Marvel’s New Universe. I didn’t mind this one though, set in
2689BC. Very Conan.

17. Star
Brand #1 (Marvel/New Universe, 1986) **¾

Writer:
Jim Shooter/Artists: John Romita Jr & Al Williamson

I had
to get this to see what all the fuss was about (the only New Universe title I
bought at the time was the very ordinary Merc). It’s OK, but I can see why the “more
realistic” line of titles failed. Characters like Star Brand just doesn’t capture
your imagination like Spider-Man or X-Men did.

18.-22. The
Life And Times Of Savior 28 #1-5 (IDW, 2009) ***¾

Writer:
JM DeMatteis/Artist: Mike Cavallaro

I
bought this miniseries ’cos I’m a mark for any fresh take on the superhero
mythos. In this grim tale, a gung-ho Superman-style hero with drinking and
mental problems has a change of heart after 9/11 and becomes a pacifist. But
being a smug, shallow prick he doesn’t really know how to do it and blunders
his way into becoming Public Enemy No. 1. His erratic behaviour leads to the US
Government sanctioning his assassination at the hands of his former sidekick.
That’s all in the first issue. Subsequent issues go back in time to show how everything
unfurled. DeMatteis is still one of the best writers in the biz. I enjoyed this
quite a bit.